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By Ellie, March 9, 2010 11:01 pm

Edit: It’s 18th century Scotland. Not 17th century. Funny how one number can make a screaming difference…

The wonders and frustrations of technology. Just as I’m 1/4 of the way through the next installment of the Disney Afternoon comic recap, I learn that the scanner is having issues. Nothing that a recent driver can’t fix, but the problem is finding the right one and making sure that Vista accepts it. And, no, I’m not calling Dell tech support for assistance. I can’t speak Hindi.

So instead of the usual “Sorry guys, update next week, I swear, tee-hee!” spiel, I’m doing something different: mini-reviews of five books I’ve read or am still reading. So quit yer bellyachin’!

Stray (Shifters #1) by Rachel Vincent: I shouldn’t like TSTL (too stupid to live) poor little rich girls, but no one’s done a werecat story before. I hate to admit it, but I actually enjoyed this Harlequin 600+-page doorstop novel, despite the brutal attacks against tabbies/women. Hopefully the sequel, Rogue is more tame. (Absolutely no pun intended.)

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon: Time-traveling, attempted rape, forced marriage, attempted rape, sex all over the place, attempted rape, wife beating, actual male rape. Despite all this and the neverendingness of it all, I enjoyed the atmosphere of 18th century Scotland. I began the sequel, Dragonfly in Amber, but I’m still stuck around page 120. This is one of those books that I’ll have to read in bits and pieces throughout the year, I guess.

The Last Rainbow by Parke Godwin: A truly rare book that’s hard to find, even through Amazon and eBay. This is actually the third book in a King Arthur/Camelot trilogy the author began, and the subject matter is a strange departure. For one, the hero is a young priest who will eventually be known as St. Patrick. For another, it deals with his life among the Prydn, or Faerie folk. These aren’t the delicate, gossamer-winged fairies, though; these are a primitive people who strongly resemble the ancient Celts in every imaginable way, though they’re very unique. (How’s that for vague?) Almost done with this one; the entire section concerning warfare nearly bested me, and it’s hard to muster the desire to continue.

Ethan of Athos by Mary McMaster Bujold: Men reproducing IN SPACE. An all-male colony faces extinction when it’s discovered that a shipment of ovarian tissue cultures has spoiled. In order to save his people, Dr. Ethan Urquhart must venture to another world and get to the bottom of the mystery. Along the way, he meets the very attractive, and very female, Commander Elli Quinn. Only 1/4 of the way through this one, but I hope to see fireworks between these two… and more gay undertones from the other Athosians. From what I’ve gathered, this is part of a series, but it stands alone very well.

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams: I enjoyed all the the Hitchhiker novels, save the last one, which was dragged down by romance. I actually howled with laughter while reading The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, which was the second and final Dirk Gently novel. But I can’t get through this one. I’m reminded of a review I read on GoodReads where the (English) fellow remarked that Douglas Adams couldn’t write real plot, and that his novels just serve to remind British people of “how depressingly British they are.” I can’t claim the latter, but I do kind of agree with the “no plot” accusation. Another book I’ll have to read in bits and pieces, if I don’t end up taking it back to the used books place.

Looking back on this list, it’s almost saddening to realize that I’ve only finished two out of the five. What’s even sadder is that I’ve got several more books I need to start reading… or finish reading. I’ve given myself a year to finish my To Read Shelf; I can get it done in three.

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By Ellie, February 23, 2010 12:11 pm

I didn’t think a nose could get so flaky and red from all those tissues. Screw you, Kleenex.

What was first believed to be allergies turned out to be a fantastically mind-banging combination of nasal congestion and fatigue. That’s right, folks. I’m sick. While I’m able to move around, hold mundane conversations, and go to my job, my brain just doesn’t want to put any effort into being snarky. Just reading light literature makes my cerebral cortex want to curl up into the fetal position… which would be pretty awesome to see, actually.

So no update today (or midnight on Wednesday mornings, as it really has been). I’ll probably have this thing beat by tomorrow, but if not, you can expect a post no later than Friday night.

Now I gotta get my aching bones out of bed.

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By Ellie, February 1, 2010 9:35 am

I’ll be updating on Tuesdays from now on.

Because I don’t like working on Mondays, that’s why.

Of course, due to the snowstorm we had Saturday and Sunday, I have to make up some of my hours today. Well, due to being out for my trip to Florida, I have to make up those hours, too. Twenty-four hours in total. Ugh.

But I have been reading the first issue of The Disney Afternoon, so I’m not slacking off. Just so you folks know, these types of posts will be mostly text. There’ll be a few scans of individual frames, not entire pages. Because I don’t need the Disney/Marvel legal team coming after me. And since I’m concerned with the length of posts, I’ll be writing these in two or three parts.

After reading all the issues I have, I think I prefer the Disney Adventures Comic Zone comics.

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By Ellie, January 26, 2010 12:39 pm

That was a mostly uneventful trip. But next time, we’re flying. I can’t handle another 13-hour road trip both ways; I’m too old and cranky to sit in a vehicle for that long.

Naturally, no post for this week. Turns out that I was wrong about our return day, which was actually yesterday. We stayed in Florida on Sunday and took advantage of the opportunity to check out Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Holy shit, they really went all out for Islands. I could have spent all day there, just snapping pictures of the buildings. (No, not a lot of riding for me. The older I get, the less resistance I have for high-speed coasters. Though the Revenge of the Mummy ride was pretty cool… and I was trapped on the ride once it got started, so I really had no choice but to go through it.)

But getting back to business. There are only so many posts I can make about books and writing, and I know those aren’t nearly as interesting as, say, other things. So I’m going to write about other people’s writing. No, trust, me, this’ll be great! And I won’t be talking about just books, either.

Okay, people 20+ years or older: do you remember the Disney Afternoon? Do you remember all the crazy, cool toons? Do you remember envying Darkwing Duck’s fashion sense donning a purple towel and fedora? I sure do. I also remember the Disney Adventures magazine and all the great comics therein. I’ve spent weeks doing research on said publication and came across these:

And they’re mine, all mine! (Except for the last two issues.) Not only do I plan on embarrassing myself in trying to recapture my childhood, I plan on recapping these comics. Why the hell not? Someone had to write them, and I am trying to keep this as a writing blog.

Next week, I’ll recap Ish #1. And if you like Darkwing, you’re in luck, because these comics are about practically no one else. Goddamn, that’s too much purple. What fun!

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By Ellie, January 19, 2010 11:36 am

Woof. No update yesterday on account of running around the house to get ready for our road trip this Thursday. After 30 years of service, my dad’s retiring from the Coast Guard, and the three of us (Mr. Ellie, Rain the Cat, and myself) are heading down to Florida to congratulate him on finally escaping the federal government. (It is federal, right? I can’t expend the energy to open another tab to Wiki that shit. Oh, don’t look at me like that. I was just a military brat, I didn’t work for the Coast Guard.)

Perhaps my biggest dilemma is choosing which book to take with me. I doubt I’ll have time to read, but I like to be prepared. Now, do I want a book where I’m currently trapped in a long, uninteresting campaign against the Romans to secure land or some other crap I’ve forgotten about (because it’s been months since I last picked up the book), or do I want a book where all the characters are mean, snarky, generally unlikable, and possibly rip-offs from other and better characters?

Or do I just go with the safest option?